- Flight AC914 from Toronto
to Fort Lauderdale was operated by
Black pilots, flight attendants, planned and supported by Black
managers and ground employees
MONTREAL, Feb. 11, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada is
marking Black History Month by featuring the achievements and
contributions of its Black employees to aviation, including an
inaugural, Black History celebratory flight. Flight AC914 from
Toronto to Fort Lauderdale and return flight AC917 today,
operated with a wide-body Airbus A330-300 aircraft, is being flown
with a Black crew of two pilots and eight flight attendants. Air
Canada's Black History celebratory
flight was also planned and supported by Black managers and
employees on the ground and behind the scenes.
"We salute and acknowledge the achievements and contributions of
Air Canada's Black employees who brought forward their idea of
operating today's Black History celebratory flight. We are very
pleased to champion their identity, pride, and enthusiasm for this
special, inaugural flight to commemorate Black History Month at our
airline," said Arielle
Meloul-Wechsler, Executive Vice President, Chief Human
Resources Officer and Public Affairs.
"We are a global airline that transports customers across six
continents, and our biggest strength is our people. Air
Canada is widely recognized for
its diversity, culture and inclusiveness, and we strive to create a
workplace that employees feel proud to belong to by leaning in and
listening, learning and working collaboratively to continually
advance shared initiatives," concluded Ms. Meloul-Wechsler.
"We are so incredibly proud of today's inaugural Black History
celebratory flight! Not only does this demonstrate Black
representation in aviation, we also want qualified Black
people to know they have a place in our industry and especially at
Air Canada. We thank Air Canada for supporting this historic flight
and for working together with Air Canada's Black employee community
to further strengthen our airline's culture," said Yolanda
Cornwall, Customer Service Training Specialist – Toronto and Claudine
Martinell, Concierge and Premium Customer Excellence –
USA, members of the Air Canada
Black History Month Committee.
Air Canada has been named one
of Canada's best Diversity
Employers for multiple consecutive years. Its Corporate
Sustainability Report (CSR) details the airline's diversity and
community initiatives.
In its internal voluntary surveys, 387 Air Canada employees
self-identified as Black, and work in leadership, management,
specialized professional positions, and across all work groups
including pilots, flight attendants, customer service agents,
maintenance technicians and ground support crews.
About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international
airline, the country's flag carrier and a founding member of
Star Alliance, the world's most
comprehensive air transportation network. Air Canada is the only international network
carrier in North America to
receive a Four-Star ranking from the independent U.K. research firm
Skytrax, which in 2021 also named Air Canada as having the Best
Airline Staff in North America,
Best Airline Staff in Canada, Best
Business Class Lounge in North
America, as well as an Excellence award for its handling of
COVID-19. Also in 2021, Air Canada was named Global Traveler's Best
Airline in North America for the
third straight year. In January 2021,
Air Canada received APEX's Diamond Status Certification for the Air
Canada CleanCare+ biosafety program for managing COVID-19, the only
airline in Canada to attain the
highest APEX ranking. Air Canada
has also committed to a net zero emissions goal from all global
operations by 2050. For more information, please visit:
aircanada.com/media, follow Air Canada on Twitter and
LinkedIn, and join Air Canada on Facebook.
Sign up for Air Canada news: aircanada.com
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SOURCE Air Canada